Help Needed To Neutralize Bass Leakage Through Ceiling!

[admin_exported]

I'm looking for advice on how best to reduce the sound leakage from my upstairs hi-fi down to the living room directly below. I'm using B&W 684s with the plinth and spikes attached. I don't remember the problem being quite this bad when I was using my old Focals which were spiked only, so perhaps the plinths are amplifying the effect in some way? Even at moderate volumes the rhythmic boom of the bass notes is an annoyance to those downstairs.

There was an article in last month's Record Collector about Blue Horizon Spike Shoes which have dimples in the centre for the speaker spikes and contain dampening material with cork and rubber. Would this be a likely solution or are there better ways of achieving this?

 

[Sizzers]

Some suggestions here. All expensive and rather troublesome so investing in upgrading my head-fi instead.

 

[MattSPL]

Is the room upstairs carpeted?

I suggest getting a concrete paving slab to place under each speaker. And cut a piece of carpet to place ontop of the slab so you can spike the speaker into it as normal.

If the room isn't carpeted, you should cut a piece of carpet to place under each slab also.

I have used this method before, and it will cost only a few pounds

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the suggestions. What about the spike shoes option though? Has anyone tried these before and would they be good for preventing some of the sound from travelling through the floor?

 

[shooter]

Mmm, well, the Blue Horizon shoes could work but at £25 for 4 look expensive. Also the dense material used in said shoes isn't specific in construction, even on the makers website. Not sure if that maters if they work but would be of interest to see if this material is absorbent as they claim, i suppose the proof is in the pudding.

If you can get demo version's you can return if your unhappy all well and good but worth considering other tried and tested options.

 

[Anonymous]

Mmm, well, the Blue Horizon shoes could work but at £25 for 4 look expensive. Also the dense material used in said shoes isn't specific in construction, even on the makers website. Not sure if that maters if they work but would be of interest to see if this material is absorbent as they claim, i suppose the proof is in the pudding.

If you can get demo version's you can return if your unhappy all well and good but worth considering other tried and tested options.

As it happens I'll be popping into my local Sevenoaks on Tuesday so I'll ask them if they have any Blue Horizon shoes I can borrow, or something similar by a different company.

 

[Anonymous]

I had a word with the guys at Sevenoaks and they suggested getting paving slabs from B&Q but I'm not completely happy with this type of solution. Has anyone had success with spike shoes at all, or similar devices?

 

[MattSPL]

I had a word with the guys at Sevenoaks and they suggested getting paving slabs from B&Q but I'm not completely happy with this type of solution. Has anyone had success with spike shoes at all, or similar devices?

How about getting some Granite cut instead of slabs?
Use 40mm thick Granite(of your colour choice), the same as is used for kitchen counter tops. You can get the edges polished/shaped so it looks great, but it could cost you upto £100.

Spike shoes may work to some extent, but you can't beat the mass of a nice slab of stone

 

[Anonymous]

I had a word with the guys at Sevenoaks and they suggested getting paving slabs from B&Q but I'm not completely happy with this type of solution. Has anyone had success with spike shoes at all, or similar devices?

How about getting some Granite cut instead of slabs?
Use 40mm thick Granite(of your colour choice), the same as is used for kitchen counter tops. You can get the edges polished/shaped so it looks great, but it could cost you upto £100.

Spike shoes may work to some extent, but you can't beat the mass of a nice slab of stone

Argos have granite worktops at £14.99 each but with a thickness of 1.3cm but since I only play music at moderate levels perhaps that would be good enough. How stable would they be though because I imagine if someone bumped into the speakers they'd just slide straight off the slab!

 

[Anonymous]

After checking around I've found that Tesco sell them cheaper at £12.50 and they're also 2.4cm thick, so these are probably the better ones to go for in this instance.

 

[Sizzers]

After checking around I've found that Tesco sell them cheaper at £12.50 and they're also 2.4cm thick, so these are probably the better ones to go for in this instance.

I bought a pair of these about a month ago and they were 1cm thick, and always had been as far I know.

Checked on their website and yes, if they ARE 2.4 then what a bargain! I'd double check first, though, as they do make mistakes (like 24 cans of beer for £4 in-store yesterday!)

 

[Sizzers]

I had a word with the guys at Sevenoaks and they suggested getting paving slabs from B&Q but I'm not completely happy with this type of solution. Has anyone had success with spike shoes at all, or similar devices?

You can cover them with whatever material to blend in.

Had thought of them before and might give them ago myself this weekend depending on the price. Good reminder!

 

[Anonymous]

After checking around I've found that Tesco sell them cheaper at £12.50 and they're also 2.4cm thick, so these are probably the better ones to go for in this instance.

I bought a pair of these about a month ago and they were 1cm thick, and always had been as far I know.

Checked on their website and yes, if they ARE 2.4 then what a bargain! I'd double check first, though, as they do make mistakes (like 24 cans of beer for £4 in-store yesterday!)

I'll be taking a tape measure with me to make sure!

 

[Anonymous]

I've had a chance to try a granite slab under one speaker and although the quality of the mids and treble seemed improved it robbed the sound of much of the bass. Normally I'm happy to have less bass as the speakers are close to a back wall but in this case it was simply too much and the overall sound was just unnatural.

I think I'll try to borrow some Atacama spike shoes and see what sort of effect they have. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[Anonymous]

The Atacama shoes have reduced some of the bass leakage but not a great deal, however they are much better than the granite board in that they tighten the bass and make it less boomy without eroding it too much. I also tried putting the board beneath the shoes, thinking this would give me the benefits of both, but it actually made the bass boomy again which really surprised me.

So in conclusion I'll be keeping the Atacamas because they improve the overall sound of my system but I'll just have to reduce the volume a little to prevent the rhythmic boom from seeping to the living room downstairs.